I have something fun to share today – an interview with an authorly/writerly/bloggerly friend of mine, Rewan Tremethick. I don’t remember quite when I started following Rewan’s blog or how I even came across one of his posts, but he’s a good sort of fellow and I have always enjoyed that we often share similar viewpoints about writing and publishing and probably a few other things, too. He’s written a couple of “Personal Novels” that allow you to personalise (see how I Briticized that word for you, Rewan?) them with your own names for character names. That is probably totally not the bit of information that he wants me to share at this point, but I’ve always thought that whole concept was pretty cool, so I couldn’t help myself.

The REAL news is the upcoming release of his novel, FALLEN ON GOOD TIMES. Check it:

Fairy tales are warnings. Legend is history. Monsters are real.

Paranormal detective Laslo Kane learned this truth the hard way. He’s had enough of the supernatural trying to kill him, but his latest job offer could provide him with a way out. A desperate investor has come to him for help investigating the murder of his business partner, and the money he is offering could change Laslo’s life forever.

It quickly becomes apparent that the killing is just one of several and that they are all linked. Laslo must follow the trail, even though he knows exactly where it ends: the mob.

In the spirit of my split readership of readers and writers, Rewan has kindly offered up answers to some questions in two parts – some of you may recognize the format… read all (recommended, OF COURSE), or just skip to the section that interests you. I’m not tracking your scrolling or anything, geez.

Reading Stuff:

What kinds of research went into FALLEN ON GOOD TIMES? More specifically, what was your favorite thing to research or your most surprising discovery?

I actually tried not to do too much research before starting the novel. I’ve read too many books where it’s clear that the author has thought ‘Well, I spent so much time finding out all this stuff, so I’m going to put it in anyway.’ I found out some really interesting things, such as the fact that Model T Fords only had 24 different shapes of key, making them pretty easy to steal, but I wanted to make sure those things didn’t end up in the book without having any relevance. Therefore, most of the research I did was to make sure that things I had put in the book actually existed at the time. Also, it’s about money, so I needed to know how much things cost back then. Strange to think that back in the 1920s you could get yourself a house for about $8,000!

My favourite things to discover were definitely the slang terms. ‘Getaway sticks’ is my highlight, which is slang for legs.

What do you think we will “recognize” most about your town of Pilgrim’s Wane? (ie: what will we most relate to)

It’s the same as any city, really. It’s got its seedy bars, it’s got the areas you really don’t want to go anywhere near, and it’s got lots of ordinary people wandering around oblivious to all the madness going on in the corners and the shadows. Laslo’s your guide to the city, so hopefully you will coming away feel like you’ve been to a real place.

Can you give us a sneak peek of your opening line?

Go on, then:

“So, Mr Kane. What makes a private detective want to quit and work behind a bar?”

How do/did you go about creating a world that blended in paranormal elements? ie: What considerations did you make when incorporating the paranormal elements?

I think I just considered every paranormal aspect in terms of its relevance to the story. For example, in my world, silver can touch/harm ghosts. It’s a ‘rule’ that is born out of necessity – I needed a way for Laslo to be able to fight back against the Spectres (ghostly mobsters who have given their lives in order to serve the family in the afterlife). When you are working on the principle of what is necessary for the story, it’s a lot easier to develop things organically and make it all feel natural.

Keyboard, because it’s faster, although thanks to RSI I’ve now moved onto iPad typing or dictation software most of the time.

Silence or music?

Silence, at the moment, at least. Depends on my mood, and what type of scene I’m trying to write, really.

Daily word count or whatever you can do?

Whatever I can do. I like producing long pieces, so I don’t find I need the discipline of setting a daily word count to keep me productive.

Thank you, Rewan, for stopping by and sprucing up my blog for a day! Keep scrolling because he was quite the sport to include a song for this post, because THAT’S THE RULE, as you all know.

A little bit more about Rewan:

Rewan (not pronounced ‘Rowan’) Tremethick is a British author who was named after a saint. St Ruan was invulnerable to wolves; Rewan isn’t. Rewan is a fan of clever plots, strong women who don’t have to be described using words like ‘feisty’, and epic music. He has dabbled in stand-up comedy, radio presenting, and writing sentences without trying to make a joke. He balances his desire to write something meaningful by wearing extremely tight jeans.

Rewan’s “be a sport and give us a song” song:

Still Life, by The Horrors. This isn’t relevant to the book, but being a writer comes with ups and downs. Downs seem more prevalent, in life in general as well as writing. I find this song both euphorically peaceful, and uplifting. It doesn’t matter what’s happening, I can put this on and it makes the world seem like a better place to be.